In
a recent
post on Birding Mongolia Abu mentioned not only some great birds
to be seen near Ulaanbaatar in winter, but also the thick smog which
is so typical for this city during the cold months. Although this is
not directly related to birds or birdwatching, the World Bank press
release is probably interesting for people living in Ulaanbaatar and
its surroundings, and for everybody interested in Mongolian affairs.

December 21, 2011

In the
morning of the 17th December 2011 I looked in much disbelieve at my
thermometer which hangs outside the west side of the building. What I
saw let me dress up with an additional layer of clothes: minus 36°C
(-32.8°F). Anyway, Gankhujag P., Amarkhuu G. and Bolormunkh E.,
all members of the Mongolian Bird Watching Club,
picked me up soon, and we drove towards UB Ponds in the west of the
city. As we went we realized that the wind—actually
only a slight breeze—was coming from
the east and thus was blowing all the smog of the world’s second most polluted city to our destination. Indeed, at the ponds,
we could hardly see anything as not only the smog was thick but also
the rising fog from the “warm” ponds—no
wonder at these brisk temperatures. So we went on quickly to check
the riparian forest remains below Songijno Khairkhan Uul where we had
seen nice birds previously (15 Jan 2011, 30 Jan 2011, 13 Feb 2011;
Mongolian Bird Watching Club 22 Jan 2011, and where 600 Black-eared
Kites were present in Sept 2011). This time the species composition
was a bit different there. Seed-eaters like Eurasian
Bullfinch, Hawfinch
and redpolls
were all lacking, may be as a result of the 12–15
cm thick snow-layer, quite a lot this early in winter.

Spring is in
the air:

male and
juvenile female (in front) Bohemian Waxwings,

below
Songijno Khairkhan Uul, Dec 2011

However, we
saw about 200 Bohemian Waxwings,
two larger flocks of thrushes totalling c.40 individuals
(Black-throated
and Red-throatedThrushes
being the most numerous, but there were also few Naumann’sThrushes
and even a single Fieldfare).
The thrushes were taking advantage of the many fallen berries as did
the waxwings.

Too cold to
walk on both legs:

female
Black-throated Thrush,

below
Songijno Khairkhan Uul, Dec 2011

Female
Black-throated Thrush,

below
Songijno Khairkhan Uul, Dec 2011

Record-shot
of the Fieldfare,

below
Songijno Khairkhan Uul, Dec 2011

Apart
from the fieldfare the best bird was certainly a female Güldenstädt’s
Redstart (photo at the Mongolian Bird Watching Club Website). Like in summer, we found Azure-winged
Magpies (8 plus 3) and there were few
each of the other usual corvids.

After a while
we travelled further west, and near the so-called UB Bird Plant
(Шувуун фабрик),
where chicken are bred and eggs are produced, we found a small flock
of Eurasian Collared Doves. According to the information we
got from a local person we had asked, the doves had appeared for the
first time during the previous winter. To our knowledge these 12
birds represent the only (?) December record of the species in
Mongolia.

We checked the
area around the Bird Plant but could not find any further
individuals.

2 of the 12
Eurasian Collared Doves,

UB Bird
Plant, Dec 2011

Frequently
used Eurasian Tree Sparrow toilet,

UB Bird
Plant, Dec 2011

Further down
the river (see here and here) we combed the degraded riparian
forest and found a female Black, a female Lesser Spotted
and a male White-backed Woodpecker, all busily foraging.
Here the sun was shining and we felt its power. The temperature had
risen considerably and after the very cold start, temperatures even
as low as minus 25°C (-13°F) seemed quite comfortable. Two
flocks of Long-tailed Tits were each accompanied by Azure
and Great Tits and, high up in a willow-tree, was an old
nest of Crowned Penduline Tit. This will be something of the
past soon: A great many people were seen cutting fuel wood.

December 14, 2011

Registration and abstract
submission is now open for the 2012 International Wild Equid
Conference,18-22 September, in Vienna, Austria, at: click here.

Early registration and
abstract submission deadline:

June 15, 2012

The International Wild
Equid Conference is a rare opportunity for scientists, managers, and
wildlife professionals throughout the world to present their work,
share ideas, inspire each other, and form working collaborations
toward improved conservation and management of our wild equids. The
dynamic scientific program includes contributed presentations,
outstanding keynote addresses, and interactive forums, as well as a
special 20th Anniversary event commemorating 20 years of Przewalski's
horse re-introduction in Mongolia and a mid-conference field trip toLake Neusiedl National Park!

Feel free to contact us
with any questions, suggestions for workshops and discussion group
topics, or to be removed from this mail list. Wide distribution of
this information to interested colleagues is appreciated.

See you in Vienna!

your conference
coordinators,

Petra Kaczensky, Research
Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine,
Vienna, Austria

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Sain baina uu?

BIRDING MONGOLIA covers any topic concerning wild birds in Mongolia: conservation, migration, observations, identification, projects, events etc. Contributions on other aspects of Mongolia’s natural heritage, as well as information from regions bordering Mongolia, are also featured from time to time.

Axel Bräunlich

I have been birding in Mongolia since 1995. Birding Mongolia was originally set up in March 2007, providing information on the fabulous birdlife (especially migration) at my local patch in Khovd, near the Altai Mountains in the west of the country, where I lived from 2005 to 2007. The blog grew rapidly, with contributions coming from more and more observers, and covering other parts of Mongolia, too.

Andreas Buchheim

I have been visiting Mongolia since 2004. It all started with gull research trips, but I now come to Mongolia at least twice a year, staying for about 6 months annually since 2010, not only for the continuing gull research but now mainly to be with my Mongolian wife and our son and to go birding. As a quasi resident of Ulaanbaatar, I do most of my birding around the city during winter but, luckily, I can visit the even more fascinating rural regions of this rapidly changing country during the warmer seasons.

Contributions (observations, photos, news etc) are very welcome! Any material contributed will be acknowledged and the copyright will remain with the author(s).

useful non-bird links

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